1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to integrated prefabricated gas fireplaces with gas burners which are adapted to be inserted in existing prefabricated fireplaces that were designed to burn wood. More particularly, the present invention relates to a complete gas fireplace conversion kit that can be installed in existing zero clearance or masonry fireplaces in a minimum of time and expense to meet all code requirements as well as providing a high efficiency gas heating system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The latest Clean Air Act mandates pollution standards for wood burning fireplaces and stoves. In addition to the federal clean air standards that become more stringent and difficult to meet over a period of years, state and local area codes have become and are becoming even tighter and more stringent than the federal law which is now defined in the Safety and Environmental Standards set forth in EPA Phase II 1991. In many western and midwestern cities such as Fresno California, Reno Nevada, Denver Colorado and numerous other local communities there have been promulgated standards that cannot be met by all existing wood burning zero clearance fireplaces and most wood burning stoves. The owners of such fireplaces and stoves now number in the tens of millions and are faced with having to abandon their fireplaces or buying gas burners for use in the fireplaces and/or buying gas log burners all of which are highly inefficient. Some owners are waiting for a conversion unit which will give them a high efficiency gas heating system which also meets all federal and local mandate requirements.
Heretofore, Heat-N-Glo of Savage, Minnesota has designed and sold prefabricated gas fireplace insert units or conversion kits for old and new conventional masonry fireplaces. These insert units were sold under Model Nos. 4000 IN and 4000 INC which included gas log burners with room air circulation blowers and semi-airtight front glass panels. Such units were not acceptable or adaptable for use in zero clearance fireplaces and would require custom adaptation of such units that cannot be carried out by field installation crews.
Our U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,322 issued Dec. 27, 1988 for a Direct-Vented Gas Fireplace. This zero clearance fireplace was designed for original installations and has provided the industry with a highly efficient gas burner that meets and/or exceeds all known pollution standards and incorporates an efficient heat exchanger as well as a fixed airtight front glass panel.
Neither of the two aforementioned gas fireplaces can be used as conversion units for existing wood burning zero clearance fireplaces without completely removing the installed zero clearance wood burning fireplace and installing one of the above mentioned gas fireplaces units in its place.
Therefore, it would be extremely desirable to provide a novel high efficiency gas fireplace gas burner unit that could be inserted into existing zero clearance wood burning fireplaces without any custom modification to provide a gas conversion fireplace unit.